Are people in the process of naturalization being deported
Executive summary
People actively “in the process” of naturalization are not yet citizens and can face removal if a denial reveals deportable conduct or loss of lawful status; multiple outlets report increased issuance of Notices to Appear (NTAs), canceled ceremonies and new enforcement priorities that make applicants and some legal permanent residents more vulnerable to detention and deportation [1] [2]. Separately, fully naturalized citizens can be subject to denaturalization and then deportation in narrow circumstances—legally possible but historically rare and constrained by high judicial standards [3] [4] [5].
1. What “in the process of naturalization” legally means — and why it matters for removal risk
Being “in the process” means an applicant has not yet completed naturalization and therefore lacks the constitutional protections of U.S. citizenship that bar removal; administrative denials or discovery of criminal or immigration violations during adjudication can expose applicants to removal proceedings because a denied benefit plus an underlying immigration problem can trigger an NTA and immigration court action [1] [6].
2. Reporting that applicants and ceremony attendees have been put at risk
Multiple news reports and community accounts describe canceled naturalization ceremonies and emails to applicants after new internal guidance, and advocates say those cancellations have left would‑be citizens in limbo and at greater risk of enforcement actions; outlets such as The Guardian reported USCIS guidance prompting cancellations and community alarm [2], while local reporting documented people being informed their applications were canceled shortly before ceremonies [7].
3. The mechanics reported for turning a denial into deportation
Immigration‑practice reporting and law blogs note a practical pathway: if an application review uncovers fraud, misrepresentation, or a separate basis for removability (e.g., an unresolved unlawful presence or criminal ground), USCIS or DHS can issue an NTA and place the person into removal proceedings — a change many attorneys say is happening more often under current enforcement priorities [1] [6].
4. Naturalized citizens, denaturalization and the historical legal limits
The government may file civil or criminal denaturalization actions to revoke citizenship where it proves material fraud or illegal procurement of naturalization; experts and legal centers emphasize the high bar set by courts—denaturalization requires clear, unequivocal, and convincing evidence of material misrepresentation tied to the original grant of citizenship—so while deportation after denaturalization is legally possible, it has been historically uncommon [3] [4] [5].
5. Recent enforcement signals and numbers that amplify fear
Reporting in late 2025 and early 2026 documents internal directives and memos that critics say expand denaturalization and removal priorities: outlets cite guidance instructing USCIS field offices to refer large numbers of denaturalization cases to the Department of Justice (reports of “100–200 denaturalization cases per month” were widely reported) and contemporaneous actions such as deployment of ICE/Border Patrol for large‑scale roundups, which have heightened community fear and produced high‑profile detention incidents [2] [8] [9].
6. Cases, incidents and the evidence gap
There are documented instances of naturalized citizens and dual nationals detained or subject to enforcement actions — reporting catalogs arrests and local court interventions — but the available reporting does not show a broad, systematic program that routinely deports people simply because they are applicants; instead, the patterns described combine increased referrals, targeted denaturalization suits, denials that expose prior deportable conduct, and aggressive field enforcement in certain localities [8] [9] [10].
7. Bottom line: direct answer to the question
Yes—people who are in the process of naturalization can and have been placed into immigration enforcement processes that may lead to detention and deportation when a denial reveals removable conduct or when underlying non‑citizen status is identified; fully naturalized citizens can only be deported after a successful denaturalization action, which is legally possible but constrained and historically rare [1] [6] [3] [4] [5]. Reporting shows heightened enforcement priorities and procedural changes that increase risk and uncertainty for applicants and some legal permanent residents, even as legal safeguards and high judicial standards remain significant barriers to wholesale removal of naturalized Americans [4] [5].